Clos d Ora, Languedoc, Gerard Bertrand, 2015

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – 95 Points

Gerard Bertrand’s icon project is the Clos d’Ora, a biodynamically farmed nine-hectare estate. The 2015 Minervois la Liviniere Clos d’Ora is a blend of the region’s four grapes, aged a year in oak and another year in bottle prior to release. It’s certainly the most supple and creamy-textured of the 2015s from Bertrand, marrying red berries seamlessly with hints of coffee-tinged oak and resiny notes of native garrigue. Although full-bodied and undeniably ripe (the alcohol is 15.5% but there’s no heat), it’s far from monolithic, showcasing complexity and elegance rather than brute power. I’ve been deliberately conservative with my aging estimate because of the wine’s lack of track record and relatively young vine age in the Syrah and Mourvèdre components, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it drink well for longer.